Turning a sketchy sketch and a coastline into a nice map

[Wetfly]

Long time reader of the guild, first time posting.

Specifically, I've been trying to map for what is slowly approaching a year now, mostly for various tabletop RPGs I run.

Basically, I've tried many different styles, and have tried lots of maps and tutorials, but I could never make anything work. I've tried mostly things in PS, GIMP or both, and the only thing I've actually liked that I ever made was a local map for my current campaign, which still has glaring problems with it, and there's particular stylistic things in it which I only used because of the tutorial I was reading.

stoneway.jpg

Now, I'm not a very artistically inclined person (as you may have guessed), but I'm cursed with the wonderment of wanting to produce something I'm proud of and which I can use.

I have eventually given in and made an account to try and get some help.

I have detailed out the realms and terrain of the world I'm currently running my campaign in, with a lot of detail just in my head, and some of it on a very rough sketch, and I've managed to create a coastline + islands I like very much, but it's only black and white with no detail. I've spent hours on different incarnations of different detailed versions so far, but they always come out very messy and unclear.

coast.jpg

So if anyone knows of any tricks or tutorials that would be good for a clumsy-eyed map maker such as myself, I would very much appreciate the help

[J.Edward]

Hey Wetfly - welcome to the Guild.
I don't follow any style per se or tutorials, but I do usually start in a similar way.
I start out by giving the sea and land a nice base color.
Then I draw in some mountain ridge lines, which will define where your rivers will flow from, and to some degree where they will flow to.
Then I draw in the rivers.
At that point you can mess around with what style you want to use to do the land features in more detail.
I did a quick example for you to show how I start.
coast.jpg
I used you map as a base. I'm using a digital tablet to draw, which helps immensely.
Just a rough idea of how I go about it. Hope that's helpful.
Maybe some others will add some more helpful input.
Cheers,
J

[waldronate]

You might also try out Wilbur for roughing in things. See http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=29412 for some examples.
v_v2color.jpg

[Hawkin]

Selection ---> Select All (Ctrl+A)
Edit ---> Copy Merged (Ctrl+Shift+C I think)
Click on Channel Tab (besides the Layer tab)
Create New Channel
Paste

Now you have your Land as saved selection (Select ---> Load Selection ---> Pick the right one)

You can now just select that, fill the water with a nice blue, inverse your selection (Ctrl+I) and fill the land with a nice brown/green color.

[johnvanvliet]

a few different noise types " plasma" , "ridged multi-fractal " and a Distance transform
combined in Gimp2.9.3 ( 32 bit floating point data ) then ran through Wilbur to erode and cut rivers

then a very quick gradient map to add color and a bumpmap shading


needs work , the colors are not correct and some of the mountains are iffy

but

45 min while watching "Talking DEAD "